1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for laying and mechanically connecting panels in rows parallel to one another, the panels having respectively a first pair of side edges lying opposite one another and a second pair of side edges lying opposite one another, a first pair of locking elements being assigned to the first pair of side edges as well as a second pair of locking elements being assigned to the second pair of side edges, the pairs of locking elements being embodied essentially in the form of a tongue and a groove. It is possible to lock two adjacent panels to one another with the aid of the locking elements in a direction running orthogonally to the panel plane as well as in a direction running parallel to the panel plane and orthogonally to the respective side edge. It is also possible to connect the tongue and the groove of the first pair of locking elements to one another by pivoting them into one another.
2. Discussion of Background Information
A method for laying and mechanically connecting panels of this type is known, e.g., from EP 0 969 164 B1. With this method a panel, which is to be added to a panel row that is to be newly laid, is brought to a panel that has already been laid in the panel row to be newly laid.
Next, the panel that has already been laid in the panel row that is to be newly laid is pivoted relative to the panel rows that have already been laid, but without releasing the engagement with the panels that have already been laid.
Finally, one of the short sides of the panel that is to be newly laid is brought to the free short side of the panel that has already been laid in the panel row that is to be newly laid, wherein the panel planes of these two panels form an angle with one another.
After the engagement of the engaging elements of the panel that is to be newly laid with the panel that has already been laid in the panel row that is to be newly laid, the panel planes of the panel that is to be newly laid, of the panel that has already been laid of the panel row that is to be newly laid and of the panels of the panel rows that have already been laid run respectively in pairs at an angle to one another.
In a next step the panel that is to be newly laid and the panel that has already been laid in the panel row that is to be newly laid are pivoted at the same time towards the floor area on which the panel rows are already laid to rest. In order to bring the engagement elements on the long side of the panel that is to be newly laid into engagement with the engagement elements of the panel row that was last laid and to bring the panel planes of the panel that is to be newly laid and the panel that has already been laid in the panel row that is to be newly laid into alignment with the panel plane of the panel rows that has already been laid.
This known method has the disadvantage of being very laborious and difficult to carry out. Either two floorers are required, one of whom manipulates the panel that is to be newly laid in the panel row and the other manipulates the panel that has already been laid in the panel row, or one person must manipulate the panel that is to be newly laid in the panel row with one hand and the panel that has already been laid in the panel row with the other hand. The former case is laborious, because one person cannot lay the panels alone. In the second case, however, a single floorer is faced with the problem that particularly manipulating the panel that is to be newly laid is extremely complicated and requires great strength. This is because the panel that is to be newly laid must be arranged in a very specific spatial orientation and into a very specific relative position to the panel that has already been laid in the panel row, which is to be newly laid, while also taking into account the leverages stemming from the panels that are usually approximately 1.2 m long, 0.2 m wide, and approximately 0.4 kg in weight.